Newcome's late goal propels Wood girls to first region title

WINCHESTER — As a teary-eyed McKenna Newcome hugged Handley’s players in the post-game handshake line on May 17 at James R. Wilkins Jr. Stadium after sitting out that day’s contest, onlookers had to wonder if the star senior midfielder would be healthy enough to contribute to her team in the postseason.

Newcome missed the Colonels’ first two Region 4D tournament games due to issues with her kidney disease, but she sure did contribute Tuesday night. And she most definitely had a different expression on her face for the hugs she was involved in late in the Region 4D title game, and for the hugs she shared during the moments that followed the final whistle.

With the ball reaching her in the center of the field at the top of the six-yard goal box, Newcome headed in sophomore defender Avery Wright’s free kick cross from the right side with about two minutes left to give No. 1 North seed James Wood a momentous 1-0 win over No. 2 South seed Blacksburg at Kelican Stadium.

The Colonels (15-1-3) played in their third regional final in four years on Tuesday, and now they have their first region championship after defeating the previously unbeaten Bruins (17-1-2).

“This team is just something special,” said Newcome, a four-year starter for the Colonels who has been a part of numerous significant moments with the team. “This senior year has just been surreal playing with this group of girls. We’re together. You can see it when we score. It’s like all of us running over, all of us screaming for each other. We’re really there for each other for everything.”

Newcome’s teammates swarmed her after the goal, and James Wood’s players all hugged and congratulated each other when the final whistle blew. That happened just after freshman goalkeeper Alaynah McGuire preserved the win by catching a bullet shot that was generated from the left side of the 18 when a James Wood and Blacksburg player hit the ball almost simultaneously.

The Colonels had a 9-0 shot edge in the second half at the time of Newcome’s goal, and McGuire (six total saves) stopped two Bruin shots after the score.

James Wood earned the program’s first state tournament berth last year. It hosted the Region 4C championship game but lost to eventual state champion Tuscarora. As a result of Tuesday’s win, the Colonels will get to host their first state quarterfinal. It will take place next Tuesday against the runner-up from Region 4C, either John Champe or Woodgrove.

“I’m excited to move forward here and see what we can do in the state tournament,” Newcome said. “Last year, we made it this far, but we lost in this game. To win this game and have home-field advantage in the next round, that was really important to us.”

James Wood coach Donavan Russell, the team’s head coach since 2019, said the Colonels certainly earned Tuesday’s historic result.

“It’s really incredible how hard the girls work, how much they understand what we’re pushing for as a team together to do better,” he said. “To play in this game again and to win it this time, that was a goal for us.

“This really brings back to mind the teams from the last five years that I’ve been part of. We’ve always kept working toward this goal. Everyone here from freshman to senior, they all understand that, and they all believe in themselves that they could accomplish it, and knew that the coaching staff believed in them. They just take that belief to the next level and keep fighting. For them to push through these last few games, and have a ‘You’re not going to beat me’ kind of attitude, it’s just paid off.”

No one on the team has fought harder than Newcome, who was hospitalized in February for three weeks with her kidney disease. After playing less than a minute as a show of respect to her in the team’s first two games, Newcome’s playing time gradually increased, and she didn’t miss a single game due to her illness until the regular-season finale against Handley.

Newcome initially wasn’t sure if she would be able to play again this season after being ruled out prior to the Handley game.

But she had been permitted to do conditioning drills during the time she missed games. Naturally, she couldn’t have been happier to get clearance for full physical activity for Tuesday. Newcome didn’t hold anything back, as she fought for the ball every chance she got in addition to making numerous effective passes and taking dangerous shots.

“It was a really great feeling to come out tonight and start for the championship and play with all my girls again,” said Newcome, who was greeted by a boisterous “She’s back!” by the public address announcer during the pre-game starting lineup introductions.

After a strong start by the Colonels (4-0 shot edge in the first 20 minutes), Blacksburg settled in well and the two teams went into halftime tied 5-5 in shots. Newcome came the closest of anyone to scoring, firing a blast that went off the crossbar in the 36th minute.

Shortly after halftime started, a siren went off for lightning, and the game was delayed for more than 45 minutes.

The Colonels’ players used that time for some critical thinking about a game, but not about their soccer game. Instead, they played “Froggy Murder.” Wright said the basic premise is that the entire team sits in a circle, one person is selected as the murderer, the murderer secretly kills someone, and everyone has to try and guess the identity of the murderer.

“It’s kind of like a little problem-solving game, with a detective, and a doctor, and things like that,” Newcome said. “We’re all working together.”

That teamwork translated well to the start of the second half, when Newcome said the goal was to figuratively “hit [Blacksburg] in the mouth.”

James Wood quickly applied pressure on the Bruins’ defense with three shots in the first five minutes of the second half. Over the next 40 minutes it had some stellar shots that just missed, and some dangerous crosses that the Colonels barely missed out on getting the finishing touch they needed to have in the box for goals.

With about two minutes remaining, Blacksburg was called for a foul near the right sideline, about 25 yards from goal. Wright stepped up to take it, and she initially tried to play a quick square pass along the ground to Newcome in hopes of catching the Bruins off-guard. Newcome said James Wood has scored a couple times this year by taking free kicks quickly.

However, the referee blew the whistle and made the Colonels take the kick again, because he was talking to an E.C. Glass player. It turned out for the best. Wright — who lofted the free kick from the right side against Orange County that produced Jasmine Hackman’s game-winning overtime goal in Friday’s Region 4D semfinals — hit a perfect ball into the middle of the box.

“I was like, ‘I can’t kick it to the goalkeeper, and I can’t kick it over,’” Wright said. “I’ve got to kick it right down [the middle].”

Both Newcome and Jolie Jenkins were in good positions to finish it.

“I saw Jolie coming, and I was like, ‘Is she going to get it?’” Newcome said. “It just landed perfectly [to me], and I just tried to redirect it.”

Newcome headed the ball down, and she thought that it went through the legs on a short-hop past Blacksburg goalkeeper Paige Miller (seven saves).

Blacksburg did its best to try and get the equalizer in the final two minutes, but it was too little, too late.

With the exception of two corner kicks — one that McGuire had to punch away — the Bruins couldn’t manage much offense at all in the second half.

“I think everyone was working together,” said Wright of the defensive play. “Even the offense was getting back. We were stepping to every ball, and that was really key to us going forward.”

James Wood’s defense Tuesday featured All-District center backs Maddie Heustis and Meadow Falkner, an All-District outside back in Wright, sophomore outside back Reese Lessard and versatile All-District selection Sloane Ferrebee, who played as a defensive midfielder.

Russel said he was surprised by the Bruins’ offensive approach in the second half, but he liked how the Colonels responded.

“Great team effort by the defense,” Russell said. “[Blacksburg wasn’t] pressuring us as much as we were used to. It was really a different kind of feel for us. They looked for a lot of long balls. The defense handled it well.”

After the game was over, everyone got to handle the Region 4D championship trophy as they posed for pictures. Former head coach Jim Carden — who built the program up from the bottom of the district and stepped away after 11 seasons when the Colonels won a school-record 10 games in the 2018 season with Russell assisting — came onto the field to congratulate all the players.

“It’s a player-led team, and I just love it,” Russell said. “They hold each other accountable, they push each other. They expect each other to play the style we want to play to make things happen, and that’s what they did tonight.”

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